Heavy rain fell. It was getting dark, the streets were growing empty. Paris's cafés were packed with people. I found myself in one of them. A dreary evening. The usual music playing. Suddenly, I sensed a presence behind me. Even without turning my head, I could feel an energy filling the surrounding space. When our gazes met, I felt faint inside. One of my friends said, "It's a man in a mask." The stranger smiled at me. We started talking. I couldn't move, much less leave. I kept watching him, taking in every gesture, his inner power. He showed me his drawings of nude, faceless people. He said he would take me to his studio the next day.
From then on, we spent all our our time together, from morning until the last run of the night bus. He showed me another Paris, another life, and another self.
